Speak Like Yoda You Can

Whether you’re a diehard Star Wars fan or you’re still a newbie, chances are you know Yoda speak when you hear it. The Jedi master’s method of speaking includes quirky sentence structures, unusual words, and wise phrases. Read on for some theories of Yoda-speak and a guide to talking like Yoda on your own.

Yoda’s East African Roots

If you’ve ever thought that Yoda’s way of speaking sounds almost primeval, you’re not far off. A language study spearheaded by Stanford University focused on the unique subject-object-verb (SOV) agreement in Yoda’s language. Since this structure preceded subject-verb-object (SVO) agreement, it almost certainly has roots in ancient languages. Stanford researchers determined that the structure of Yoda-speak is based on very early East African languages that influenced the development of the languages we know today.

Yoda’s Old English Roots

SOV agreement also appears in Old English. A side-by-side comparison of Yoda’s statements and some of Shakespeare’s famous lines reveals similarities. Both tend to feature the subject at the beginning of the sentence and the conjugated verb at the end of the sentence. Thus, Yoda’s quirky but profound English statements also borrow from its ancestor, Old English.

It’s also worth noting that even though Yoda’s sentence structure may appear odd when compared with modern phrasing, his statements are still recognizable as English. Altering word order to the extent that Yoda does wouldn’t be possible in many other languages, let alone understandable.

Yoda’s Yiddish Roots

Linguists have compared Yoda speak to Yiddish-influenced English as well, prompting interesting results. Yiddish-influenced English often plays with word order, placing verbs at the end of sentences. This frequently results in witty, whimsical phrasings, which moviegoers can observe in Yoda’s speech.

Why Yoda Speaks the Way He Does

Some Star Wars experts point out that Yoda’s sentence structure can be inconsistent. While his speech may lean toward SOV agreement, he often inserts object-subject-verb (OSV) statements into his lexicon as well. Other more rare statements reflect the SVO agreement we’re used to in modern English.

Experts theorize that Yoda deploys his various phrasings purposefully. Since his SOV statements tend to make him sound wise, profound, and clever, it’s likely that he uses them strategically. On the rare occasion that he doesn’t have an important message to deliver, he may slip back into standard modern English.

As Grammar Girl explains, though Yoda’s speech is memorable, it’s not completely unusual in the world of Star Wars. Many of the movie’s characters are immigrants from lands far away, and their speech also includes numerous oddities. Like any immigrant, Yoda incorporates his own phrasing into the language of the land.

How You Can Talk Like Yoda

Yoda speak may be quirky, but it’s certainly possible to imitate. To talk like Yoda, start by thinking of something wise to say. This can be as simple as a short, poignant statement. Next, change around the word order of your statement. Place the subject and the most important phrase first. Any negatives in your statement should go to the end.

Be sure to reaffirm your statements or questions. If you’re making an affirmative statement, add “yes” at the end. If you’re asking a question, add an inquisitive “hmm?” at the end. Including these will help emphasize the context of your statement and provide Yoda speak newbies with the clues they need to communicate with the wise one.

Try incorporating some Yoda speak into your daily life and see how well you’re able to communicate with those around you. Does your language sound profound, witty, or both?

Not-So-Sweet 16 Game 8: Close Talkers vs. “Well, actually . . .”

March MADness has been long. It has been frustrating. It has reminded us all of those things we don’t like about our office-mates. But, take heart! We are one poll away from exiting the Not-So-Sweet 16 and choosing the Final (Infuriating) Four!

Our last poll of the Not-So-Sweet 16 is a doozy, pitting a classic Seinfeld gripe against the world’s most irritating interjection. Help us determine the fate of office rage by voting below.

Close Talkers

These folks like to get cozy when they’re chatting with others. They seem to be playing a game of “can you guess what I had for lunch?” where the answer is always “Onions.”

“Well, actually . . .”

This phrase is the hallmark of a know-it-all. With a penchant for perfection and an inability to filter relevant details from irrelevant ones, this person never misses an opportunity to correct or clarify themselves and others.

Hyphen In Compound Adjective With Numbers

When numbers are used as the first part of a compound adjective, use a hyphen to connect them to the noun that follows them. This way, the reader knows that both words function like a unit to modify another noun. This applies whether the number is written in words or in digits.

The president of the company gave a 10-minute speech to the Board of Directors.

He is knowledgeable in thirteenth-century politics.

The boy threw a rock at the second-story window.

However, a hyphen is not required if the number is the second word in the compound adjective.

He is a victim of Type 2 diabetes.

This elevator doesn’t go down to Basement 3.

Hyphen in Compound Adjective With Fractions

When using a fraction (e.g. half or quarter) as part of a compound adjective, it should be hyphenated so the reader understands which fraction is modifying which noun.

I half-wanted to commit a felony.

A quarter-million dollars is still a large amount of money.

You’ll need one-third of a pound of flour and one egg.

That’s a half-baked idea if I ever heard one!

Hyphen With Number of Years

Use hyphens when you are using someone’s age as a label.

Four-and-a-half-year-olds are not reasonable about nap time.

The two-year-old’s favorite food was yogurt.

Don’t use hyphens when you’re just talking about a span of time.

We’ve lived here for four and a half years.

Two and a half years is plenty of time to learn how to play tennis.

Learn Your Homophones: Pear, Pair, and Pare

Pair: two of something, usually that are similar or go together. For example:

I’m going to buy a new pair of shoes.

Johnny and Sally make a cute pair.

Pear: a fruit. For example:

Rufus is eating an apple, and I am eating a pear.

The pear was ripe and juicy.

Pare: trim (something) by cutting away its outer edges; cut the skin off of something; reduce (something) in size, extent, quantity, or number, usually in a number of small successive stages. For example:

Each summer he pares a large number of branches from the trees in the backyard.

When making an apple pie, pare the skin off the apples first

.

They have significantly pared down the number of people on their team.

Now that you know the difference between these words see if this sentence makes sense to you:

Before I eat them, I will pare this pair of pears.

To learn more about confusing words, read this post about word pairs.

Rewriting 101: How to Add Clarity to Your Sentences

Have you ever finished writing a sentence only to reread it and be completely baffled at its structure? Sure, the sentence might be technically grammatically correct, but it sounds incredibly awkward. In situations like these, it’s best to step back and try to find a way to rewrite the sentence. For example: When you see your new friend, tell him or her that I said hello.

Although using ‘him or her’ to indicate a person of whose gender you aren’t aware is technically correct, the sentence above sounds formal and would likely come across as awkward in casual conversation. In this case, try rewriting the sentence:

Tell your new friend that I said hello. The next time you see your new friend, say hello for me. Say hello to your new friend for me.

Another example: She took over the family business because, due to a series of unexpected events, her mother was unable to continue the administrative work that she had done faithfully for over twenty-five years.

This sentence is overly wordy and awkward. Try removing information from the sentence or breaking it up into two sentences:

Her mother was unable to continue the administrative work that she had done faithfully for over twenty-five years. Therefore, Monica took over the family business.

Another example: People, parents mostly, who care about children should make an effort to teach their children the differences between right and wrong.

This sentence is repetitive and awkward. Try consolidating the information in the sentence:

If parents care about their children, they should teach them the differences between right and wrong.

If you can’t tell whether or not your sentence is awkward, try reading it aloud. Your ears will often tell you before your eyes will if you should rewrite the sentence.

For more tips on clear and concise writing, read this blog post by C.S. Lakin.

Grammarly is nominated for the Crunchies Awards. Click here to vote for Grammarly!

Job Seekers: What’s Wrong with Your Resume? Probably More than You Think.

#WhatIWrite: Cover Letters and Resumes

More than two thirds of salaried jobs require a significant amount of writing, making written communication a key consideration in hiring. Yet, top organizations still spend more than $3 Billion (with a “B”!) per year on remedial training to improve employees’ writing to baseline standards.

Cover letters and resumes are, not surprisingly, a great way for potential employers to assess candidate’s writing skills. According to a recent analysis of online resumes by Grammarly:

• There are 5 potential errors on a typical job seeker’s resume, and most of these issues (nearly 60 percent) are grammatical.
• Female job seekers make an average of 4 grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes in their resume, while male job seekers average more than 6 mistakes.
• The average job seeker makes more than 1.5 punctuation errors, but very few spelling mistakes (less than one per resume).

Careful proofreading is the best way to find potential spelling and grammar issues in a resume or cover letter. Using Grammarly’s application as an extra set of eyes to find spelling and grammar mistakes enables job seekers to differentiate themselves by focusing on content and style.

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Have you written a particularly compelling resume or cover letter recently that you’d like to share?

Grammarly is joining The New York Times Learning Network, National Council of Teachers for English, National Writing Project and other literary-minded organizations in spreading the word about the #WhatIWrite Tweet-up to take place today (Friday, October 19) and tomorrow (Saturday, October 20).

#WhatIWrite encourages writers to share excerpts from their writing via Twitter. Participants who include the hashtag #GrammarlyEdits with any of their tweets will be entered into a drawing to win a free one-year subscription to Grammarly’s online application valued at $139.95. You may also tell your friends about the contest on Twitter for a second chance in the drawing.

Click here to learn more about the #GrammarlyEdits #WhatIWrite contest.

Terms and conditions: Official Rules #GrammarlyEdits #WhatIWrite Contest

Fulfil vs. Fulfill

• Fulfil and fulfill are both correct spellings of the same word. It means “to put into effect,” “to achieve,” “to carry out,” or “to realize.”
• Fulfil is the spelling commonly used in English speaking countries like the UK and Australia.
• Fulfill is the spelling commonly used in the United States.
• In Canada, they use both spellings.

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Fulfill is one of those words with multiple spellings. It can end with two l’s or with one, depending on where the person writing the word is from.

Fulfil vs. Fulfill—What’s the Difference?

We use fulfill to say that we did something we promised, that we carried out a duty, or that we realized or put into effect something that someone entrusted us to do.

There are two ways you can spell the word—fulfill and fulfil. Neither of the spellings is wrong. The longer one, fulfill, is the spelling you’ll see people use in the United States:

I’ll fulfill Mary’s wish and get her a bike for the birthday.

In other English-speaking countries, people spell the word fulfil:

He promised he’ll be back by the end of the year, so there’s still time to fulfil that promise.

You can come across both spellings in Canada.

Most of the inflected forms of the word retain the double l, regardless of dialect. That’s why you’ll see fulfilling, fulfilled, and fulfiller in all English speaking countries. A notable exception is the word fulfillment, which follows the same rules as the root word:

Peter didn’t get much fulfillment from good grades.

You can find fulfilment in helping other people.

Examples

Fulfill in the US

In what’s expected to be Watson’s final game at Death Valley, the Tigers junior will look to fulfill his youthful promise to “never lose to the Gamecocks.”

USA TODAY

But on his 10th LP the country superstar sounds more like he’s fulfilling obligations, striking a series of familiar and expected Garth-like poses.

Rolling Stone

Fulfillment centers are giant warehouses that help online retailers store and ship products and handle returns quickly.

NASDAQ

Fulfil outside of the US

Pictures of the huge distribution centre, in Peterborough, show staff racing to fulfil orders amongst miles of shelves packed with thousands of different products.

The Sun

Belfast Council chief executive Suzanne Wylie has pointed out that Belfast is not currently fulfilling its potential and, as a consequence, is “lagging behind” other cities in the UK.

The Irish News

But critics say it’s not as simple as that, they claim in many cases people are being shunted onto other benefits unfairly and the result isn’t fulfilment but hardship.

BBC

American English and British English are different in many small, almost unnoticeable ways. When it comes to spelling, Americans usually prefer the shorter words, like “benefited” over “benefitted” or “check” over “cheque”, but every once in a while they choose to use the longer spelling, like fulfill.